Story:Starship Challenger/Times/Act One
ACT ONE FADE IN EXT-SPACE/PLANET ORBIT Challenger is in orbit of the planet next to a Constitution-Class Starship. TAYLOR'S (VO): Captain's Starlog Unknown. After coming across a rift the Challenger was pulled into it and somehow encountered an unknown Starfleet vessel. INT-BRIDGE (TACTICAL ALERT) Taylor is shocked by the transmission when she gets up from her chair and walks over to Commander Martin's console. TAYLOR Commander what the hell is going on? Martin leans back and thinks. MARTIN I think that rift we discovered it could be a temporal rift Captain. She folds her arms. Viewer shows the unknown vessel. TAYLOR (to Martin) Wonder what their thinking right now. Martin shrugs his shoulders when the com system starts beeping. Sutherland Captain we're getting another transmission from the unknown Starfleet vessel. Taylor gets up from the chair. TAYLOR Let's hear it. She inputs commands into the console. BISHOP (OC) This is Jack Bishop Captain of the Federation Starship Valiant to the Starfleet vessel claiming to be the Starship Challenger, we've locked onto you with our phasers and photons please respond before we open fire. Taylor walks over to Sutherland. TAYLOR Open a channel. Sutherland inputs commands into her console and nods. TAYLOR Unknown Starship this is Captain Marcia Taylor of the United Earth vessel Challenger we encountered a rift of some kind it pulled us in, and somehow dumped us into your sector we mean you no harm we're a Starfleet vessel as well so stand down please. A few minutes of silence. BISHOP (OC) Captain Taylor we will deactivate our weapons. Rubin looks at his console read out. RUBIN (sighs) They've deactivated their weapons. TAYLOR Thank you now that we're not being targeted, we should meet face to face Captain and figure out how to get me and my crew back to where we came from. BISHOP (OC) Very well there's a planet about five light-years from here we'll escort you to it. Carlson nods at her that she received the coordinates. TAYLOR (Smiles) Alright lead the way. BISHOP (OC) Very well Bishop out. Transmission ends Taylor goes back to the Captain's Chair. TAYLOR (to Carlson) Kara get us along the port side of their saucer. Carlson inputs commands into the helm. CARLSON (Helm Officer) Aye, Captain. EXT-SPACE Both Challenger and Valiant are at warp five point two head to the colony. INT-CONFERENCE ROOM Taylor walks around the staff as she's trying to grasp what is going on and where they are. TAYLOR So, comments on what's going on? Rubin chimes in. RUBIN Captain this could a Romulan trick, to get us to give them our fleet deployments and tactical plans. Then Martin chimes in. MARTIN If this was a Romulan trick it's a pretty dull one, seeing how Captain Bishop deactivated his weapons and is escorting us to a colony. And I've been doing some scans of the rift before we left I believe that it's a temporal rift and we're in another time where Starfleet has advanced in 200 years from where we're at. Taylor goes back to the front of the table. TAYLOR For now let's hear what he has to say I want repairs done on our tactical systems and we need to be ready dismissed. The senior staff leaves the conference room. CUT TO: INT-TAYLOR'S QUARTERS Taylor is on her bed thinking about what is going on and how to get the crew home. (Com beeps) MARTIN (OC) Martin to Taylor. Taylor press the button on the com panel. TAYLOR (to com) Taylor here go ahead. MARTIN (OC) We're approaching the Forcus system. TAYLOR (sighs) I'm on my way. She gets up from the bed and walks out of her quarters. EXT-SPACE Challenger and Valiant enter orbit around the M-Class planet, a close up on the launch bay opens and one of the pods exits and heads to the planet. INT-Shuttle Pod Canopy Martin, T'Shar, Ensign Carlson, and Rubin as well as two MACOs are in the pod. MARTIN (to Carlson) Take us to that clearing over there. Carlson inputs commands into the console. CARLSON (helm officer) Aye, Sir. Captain Bishop, Commander Minard, Lieutenant T'Vor and two security officers see the pod fly over them and land as the Challenger landing party gets out of it. MARTIN Captain Bishop I'm Commander John Martin first officer of the United Earth Vessel Challenger, Captain Taylor wanted to meet you but she had ship business to take care of. They shook hands. BISHOP Understandable. MARTIN (continued) These are my officers Lieutenant Ethan Rubin our armory officer, Ensign Kara Carlson our chief conn officer, and Lieutenant T'Shar our chief science officer and Colonel Audrey Hunter leader of our MACO squad onboard the ship and Major Daniel Mitchell her second in command. He nods at them. T'SHAR (Vulcan salute) Live long and prosper T'Vor. Both Martin and Bishop walk and talked. MARTIN We come from the year 2156, (beat) the late twenty-second century. we were pulled into a temporal rift and we encountered your ship. BISHOP (to Martin) We were on patrol along the Federation-Klingon border, (beat) that's when we encountered your ship. EXT-SPACE A Klingon D-7 decloaks in front of both Challenger and Valiant. INT-BRIDGE (TACTICAL ALERT) The crew are at their stations. TAYLOR (tensed) Open a channel. Sutherland inputs commands into her console. SUTHERLAND (nods) Channel open Captain. Taylor gets up from the Captain's Chair. TAYLOR (sighs) Attention Klingon starship, this is the Starship Challenger stand down or we'll get hostile. A minute of silence. KLINGON COMMANDER (OC) Challenger and Valiant surrender or be destroyed. Transmission ends as Taylor goes to her chair and presses the com panel on her arm rest. TAYLOR (to com) Taylor to Williams. WILLIAMS (OC) Williams here TAYLOR (to com) Tactical Status. WILLIAMS (OC) We'll have phase-cannons back on-line in a few minutes, hullplating will be in about a second and need a few hours on torpedoes why? Taylor sits in her chair. TAYLOR (to com) Well we have a Klingon warship in front of us. WILLIAMS (OC) I'll keep working on it Williams out. The Vorn fires off a photon torpedo that nearly misses the port nacelle of Challenger. INT-BRIDGE (TACTICAL ALERT) Slightly jolts. SUTHERLAND That nearly hit our port nacelle. Close up on Taylor, (End of Act One, Fade out)